Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, for what reasons the call for evidence on the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy did not expressly include (a) the promotion of democracy and (b) the protection of human rights.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
At the start of the Integrated Review, the Prime Minister said that the Review will set out how the United Kingdom will be a problem-solving and burden-sharing nation. He also highlighted the importance of our values. This includes standing up for democracy and human rights.
The Call for Evidence invites the public to submit evidence to inform the Integrated Review. Its aim is to invite a broad range of submissions without prejudging which themes or issues should receive particular consideration at this stage.
Her Majesty's Government is committed to an open and inclusive review that utilises a wide range of expertise and challenges traditional Whitehall assumptions and thinking.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 September 2020 to Question 77846 on Bahrain: Capital punishment, if he will set out the international standards referred to in the Answer
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
Our support for Bahrain fully complies with our international human rights obligations as it is dependent on a robust assessment under the Overseas Security and Justice Assistance process, which requires that recognised human rights and other risks must be considered prior to providing assistance, including an assessment of the potential impact of any proposed assistance, and the identification of mitigation measures against the risk that assistance might directly or significantly contribute to a violation. Furthermore, our assistance is regularly monitored and evaluated to ensure it continues to deliver against these standards, and is often delivered in cooperation with respected international partners such as the United Nations Development Programme.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Polish Government in response to Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro's recent statements that Poland will withdraw from the Istanbul Convention.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK accords a high priority to promoting gender equality and women's rights across the world. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials regularly raise gender issues, including domestic violence, in multilateral fora such as the UN and the Council of Europe. The UK signed the Istanbul Convention in 2012, signalling its strong commitment to tackling violence against women and girls; this Government remains committed to ratifying it. We encourage the Polish Government, too, to maintain its commitment to the Convention. The British Embassy in Warsaw is active on this agenda and supports NGOs working on women's rights. Later this month, the Embassy will be hosting a public webinar with British and Polish experts on lessons learned in dealing with domestic violence during the Covid-19 pandemic and will follow this with smaller group workshops with NGOs from the UK and Poland at which they will share experiences.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made to the Government of Belarus on the (a) integrity of its 2020 Presidential election and (b) mistreatment of anti-government protesters since that election.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Government has been clear in condemning the violent suppression and detention of peaceful protesters, following the recent fraudulent Presidential elections in Belarus. We have been clear that we do not accept the election results. The UK is calling for an independent investigation through the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) into the conduct of the authorities leading up to, during and after the Presidential elections and the subsequent violent crackdown by authorities. We have raised these concerns directly with Belarusian Foreign Minister Makei.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will make its future assistance to Bahrain contingent on a decrease in or end to that country’s use of death penalty.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
We continue to believe that Bahrain is taking steps in the right direction to improve its human rights record, in line with the Government's Plan which built on the reform recommendations set out in the 2012 Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry Report. Whilst we and the Government of Bahrain acknowledge this is a work in progress, our support for this Bahrain-led reform is helping to build effective and accountable institutions, strengthen the rule of law and deliver justice reform. All our support is in line with international standards, and aims to share the UK's expertise and experience.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 4 July 2019 to Question 270326 on International Decade for People of African Descent, whether he plans to reconsider the decision not to take specific steps to mark the UN International Decade for People of African Descent and its theme of recognition, justice and development following the Black Lives Matter protest.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government strongly supports the UN International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) and remains committed to combating racism, both domestically and internationally. There are no guidelines setting out how countries should mark the Decade. The UK has chosen to combat racism throughout the lifetime of the Decade by continuing to work to eradicate discrimination and intolerance in our country. The Government is committed to doing this in this decade, and beyond.
At home, our focus is on creating a fair society where all people, regardless of ethnic origin or background, are valued and able to participate fully and realise their own potential. Internationally, we believe that one of the most effective ways to tackle injustices and advocate respect among different ethnic groups is to encourage countries to uphold their human rights obligations, particularly through international institutions such as the United Nations. The UK has participated in and joined consensus on the key 21st century UN events and instruments on racism, and is committed to speaking out against racism and intolerance bilaterally and in multilateral fora. During the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, we delivered two statements on the urgency of dealing with racism, one in the item 9 debate and one in the urgent debate. The Minister of State responsible for Human Rights, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon also discussed the importance of combatting racism during the UK's closing statement which was delivered on 26 June.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Hungarian counterpart since legislation was passed by the Hungarian Government on 19 May 2020 that ends the legal recognition of transgender people and wider discrimination against LGBTQ citizens.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK is committed to the principle of non-discrimination on all grounds, including on the basis of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. We are concerned by the amendment to Hungary's Registry Act that was passed through by the Hungarian Parliament on 19 May, and the impact this will have on the rights of transgender people.
I raised these concerns with the Hungarian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Levente Magyar, on 30 April. Officials in our Embassy in Budapest have also discussed the amendment with senior Hungarian officials, as well as with civil society. We will continue to maintain a dialogue with Hungary, both bilaterally and in multilateral fora, on promoting tolerance and non-discrimination towards LGBT people.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, for what reasons he refused a request from the EU to establish an office in Northern Ireland to facilitate the implementation of the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The UK Government considered the EU's request in February and again in March, to establish a Belfast office of the EU Delegation to the UK and responded on both occasions that we cannot agree to a permanent EU presence in Belfast. While Article 12 gives EU officials the right to be present during the activities of UK authorities related to the implementation and application of the Protocol, we do not accept that that necessarily requires an EU Delegation office in Belfast, or indeed any other permanent EU presence in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's position is on the emergency powers granted to the Prime Minister of Hungary during the covid-19 pandemic; and what representations he has made to his Hungarian counterpart on that matter.
Answered by Wendy Morton
We are committed to working with our international partners, including Hungary, to overcome the global health and economic challenges resulting from the coronavirus pandemic and to set the stage for a strong recovery of sustainable economic growth and prosperity. We remain in close contact with the Hungarian authorities as we coordinate our response.
The UK places great importance on, and has a proud history of respecting, the rule of law and democratic values. We are clear that measures to address the coronavirus pandemic should be targeted, time-limited and subject to regular review. We are closely monitoring the Hungarian government's use of the emergency legislation.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to international counterparts on tacking the transmission of covid-19 in refugee camps related to the conflict in Syria.
Answered by James Cleverly - Home Secretary
The Foreign Secretary's current priority is to support global efforts to combat the outbreak of COVID-19; he recognises the scale of the threat posed by COVID-19 in Syria and in Syrian refugee camps. The International Development Secretary spoke with Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, on 18 March, and agreed to work together to minimise the impact of this crisis on refugees. DFID is leading the humanitarian support for the UK's global efforts to combat the outbreak of COVID-19, including for those in refugee camps. This includes a contribution of £10 million to the World Health Organisation to help prevent the spread of this outbreak. We will continue to monitor the situation in Syria and in Syrian refugee camps very closely.